Seven teachers and staff members are retiring after their years of hard work to make this community a better place for thousands of students. With their contributions to CHS, they have brought their visions for the school to life. 

After teaching Physical Education (P.E.) at CHS for 18 years, gym teacher Bonnie O’Hearn is retiring. She has helped students find a passion for sports while also keeping them healthy.

What made you start teaching P.E.?

I had great teachers in high school that made P.E. a lot of fun and made me want to follow in their footsteps. Ironically, I saw one of [the teachers] last summer at my high school’s annual golf tournament and I was able to tell her this, which meant a lot to me.

What has been your favorite part about CHS?

In my first year [of] teaching, there was a large group of teachers that were all about the same age. To this day they are still my best friends. I coached softball, basketball and tennis and was an assistant athletic trainer, so I was able to meet so many more kids in the sports atmosphere outside of the PE classes.

What has been your favorite story in your teaching experience?

I had a young man who fell out of a window as a toddler and became paralyzed and in a wheelchair, but it never stopped him.  He did everything—and more—than kids with two working legs did. The only way I could beat him in pingpong was if [the ball] bounced high over his head.  Since high school, he’s competed in four Paralympics and has been on commercials showing what can still be accomplished even when in a wheelchair.

What is your plan after retiring?

I’m moving to Ocean City, Maryland, and plan to get a part time job on the golf course so I can spend my retirement playing as much golf [as] possible.

Having worked in the Work Awareness and Transition program for four years, Special Education Instructional Assistant Ann Dwyer has been teaching and inspiring disabled at preschools, elementary schools and high schools, making differences across age groups.

What inspired you to start teaching disabled students?

My sister inspired me to be a teacher. She is the youngest of nine and has Down Syndrome. This inspired me to help others like her.

What is your plan after retiring?

My first plan for retirement is to rest. Then, I will spend time with my new grandson and my three other granddaughters. I am looking forward to the arrival of my son’s baby girl in June. I also have some travel plans.

How has teaching and helping for this long impacted you?

Working with so many students with different kinds of disabilities over the years has impacted me because I am able to try to understand them so that I can teach to their strengths. I also continue to learn from the students themselves every day.

Being the longest tenured administrator at the school, Robyn Lady has been here for 15 years as the director of student services. This is her 30th year in public education as a whole.

What has been your favorite part of being the director of student services?

[There are] a lot of parts to the job that I really enjoy. I certainly enjoyed [helping] counselors become better at their trade and how they talk to and help students. I also enjoyed helping [create] a school counseling program where students [understand] that there are counselors here for them [from] a social and emotional perspective.

What has been your favorite part about CHS?

I would say the school spirit of the 3,000 students really makes it a special [community]. I also take pride in how strong our theater and music programs are; the kids and teachers [there] are fantastic.

What will you miss most about your job or the school?

I will definitely miss the people. The school spirit here is special. I love seeing students thrive and enjoy co-curricular and extracurricular classes. I will really miss the faculty that I’ve worked with throughout the years and the friendships I have developed, [which] I can hopefully maintain.

The rest of the staff members retiring are: administrative assistant Marlene Burke, assistant principal of sub school five Rebecca Daniels, English teacher Michelle Harris and assistant principal of sub school three Mary Mcdowell. They were not available for interviews.